An adolescent named Max has an active imagination, and he will throw
fits if others don’t go along with what he wants. Max – following an
incident with Claire (his sister) and her friends, and following a
tantrum which he throws as a result of his Mother paying more attention
to her boyfriend than to him – runs away from home. Wearing his wolf
costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a
world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by
large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max
himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would
with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he
proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.